Spring? Not yet but we live in hope.

The Lens Artists Challenge hosts bring us the seasons for the month of July with #105 this week, Tina’s spring challenge.

New Zealand is halfway through winter and spring is on it’s way. Buds are fattening, shoots are pushing through cold soil and we’re planning a spring road trip. Last year, we hopped on a plane 2 days before spring started and landed in Canadian autumn for a long awaited holiday.

With our friends and travel mates at Stanley Park, Vancouver.

It was the first of our bucket list of trips. Might be the last too, for a good while at least. We’ll be staying home for the foreseeable future.

Tulips in the sun at Wellington Botanic Gardens.

New Zealand appears to have COVID 19 under control – for now. Even though there are new cases coming across our border, isolation and quarantine seem to be working. It has been more than 70 days since our last recorded community case.

Bumblebees come out of hibernation when the rhododendrons flower.

There appears to be optimism in the business world too, kiwis are travelling in their own country, seeing their own backyard and we’re supporting local manufacturers and small businesses. Something good has come out of closed borders, we’re thinking locally.

Kowhai flowers provide early nectar for the birds.

Overseas based kiwis, COVID refugees are flocking back to the country in their  thousands every week, rushing home from virus hot spots. New Zealand is a safe haven from the storm brewing out in the world. Returnees endure two weeks of managed isolation before integrating into our healthy population, a strategy to keep the virus out and enable our economy to function.

Stormy spring skies.

It’s never been a better time to be a kiwi. With over 13 million cases of COVID19 and half a million deaths worldwide, our little islands are the best place in the world. Even our neighbour Australia is struggling with a second wave and Melbourne is faced with another 6 weeks of lockdown. In Aotearoa/NZ, life looks almost normal but it could still change in a moment. We’re not out of the woods yet, the future is uncertain.

Take care and stay safe everyone.